The White House on Wednesday welcomed the overseas ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia, who’ve been holding peace talks in Washington, D.C.
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan stated on Twitter that it was “good to host” Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and Armenia’s Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan on the White House, including he welcomes the “progress Armenia & Azerbaijan have made in talks,” encouraging “continued dialogue.”
“A sustainable & just agreement will be key to unlocking opportunities for both countries & the region,” he stated.
Bayramov and Mirzoyan have been holding peace talks within the U.S. since Sunday.
On Monday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met individually with Bayramov and Mirzoyan on the George P. Shultz National Affairs Foreign Affairs Training Center in Arlington, Virginia.
U.S. State Department Deputy Spokesman Vedant Patel stated the secretary believes that “direct dialogue is key to resolving issues and reaching a lasting peace.”
He stated the U.S. believes that “peace is possible between these two countries, and we are glad to be welcoming them.”
Relations between the 2 former Soviet republics have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian army occupied Karabakh, which is internationally acknowledged as a part of Azerbaijan, and 7 adjoining areas.
Most of the territory was liberated by Baku throughout a battle within the fall of 2020 which ended after a Russian-brokered peace settlement and opened the door to normalization.
However, the institution of a checkpoint on the border between Azerbaijan and Armenia within the South Caucasus area final month sparked tensions.
The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry stated the border checkpoint was created in response to safety threats from Armenia, citing the switch of weapons and ammunition to the Karabakh area. Yerevan denied the fees.
Washington stated beforehand that it was “deeply concerned” by Azerbaijan establishing a checkpoint on the Lachin hall.
Source: www.anews.com.tr
